The Royals fired hitting coach Kevin Seitzer on Thursday after four seasons with the club.

The Royals finished with a team batting average of .265 in 2012, down from .275 in 2011. Eric Hosmer also saw his production drop in his second big-league season, hitting .232 with 14 homers and 60 RBIs after batting .293 with 19 homers and 78 RBIs his rookie season.